“As I am listening to the bells of the cathedral, I am thinking of your voice…”– Suzanne Vega (Tom’s Diner)

The beautiful view from Vania’s kitchen window.

Sounds of San Pietro’s ancient bells softly awoke my jetlagged body from a dreamless sleep. Smells of illy espresso began drifting into the room as I heard Vania preparing breakfast in her stunning Italian kitchen. Stepping into the kitchen with groggy eyes I saw she had our espresso ready on our placemats as she busily set the rest of our breakfast. Omelets and coffee normally start my American mornings whereas eggs in the morning are not a common Italian breakfast. Instead she offered small biscuits or yogurt with corn flake cereal and honey.

The heat wave I was warned about was no joke with temps reaching into the 40s, celsius that is, which makes that in the 100s. The humidity made D.C. summers seem near comfortable though being a fan of summer I still preferred this weather over a Polar Vortex any day. The common water fountains throughout Rome saved us all this summer. Some used them as showers sticking their heads underneath the water spout while others washed their feet or simply refilled their water bottles.

Our morning began wandering through the indoor market marveling over the array of fresh veggies, meats and cheeses. I saw veggies I never knew existed! Their shear size alone was mind blowing. The variety of veggies that colorfully dotted the slanted shelves were a foodies dream.

Vania and I were women on a mission with a long list that ranged from sight seeing to shopping. Moments we found ourselves lost in translation during a conversation we consulted the translator app on our phones while bursting into fits of laughter as we tried to find the correct word in our language.

A fellow makeup lover, she took me to Kiko. Fabulous sales lined the front part of the store. “Hair shadow?” I thought to myself as I saw this spherical applicator. A salesperson noticed my apparent interest in this new make up concept and offered to apply it to my hair. When in Rome, right? They streaked the green shadow like a highlight. Only a few Euros? I bought the hair shadow.

Quick selfie styling the hair shadow before crossing the street.

Walking down a side cobblestone road under the molto caldo sun we came up to a restaurant called Su& Giù Cucina Romana. The friendly waitress sat us in a window seat in the quaint restaurant. I was back in Italy. The surreal reality sunk in at that very moment. Italian wine bottles filled the narrow shelf behind me more for decoration than monetary value.

The first time it hit me that I was in Italy I standing in Piazza Navona in Rome at 19 years old on a pre-tour to Paris, London and Rome before studying abroad to Florence. These young boys grabbed our wrists when we were beside the fountain and began making a bracelet around our wrists before we had a chance to say no. My friends and I exchanged glances and figured it couldn’t cost too much lire! I remember watching him twist the different colored strings into a lovely bracelet and as he did I took a few moments to take in my surroundings of the long wide narrow square. Italy. I had finally arrived. We all wore the bracelet the entire three months we studied in Florence.

Back to 2015 and Su & Giù Cucina Romana. With a menu that made it impossible to choose only one dish. After a grueling time trying to decide what to order I settled on the seafood pasta. The plating alone was artwork.

With happy tummies we ventured to the first of the sites. As we rounded the corner to the Trevi Fountain, to our sad dismay, we discovered it was under construction. Crowds of people with squinted eyes and sorrowful tones gazed upon one of the world’s most celebrated fountains barricaded behind metal fences. “There goes finding love in Roma!” I thought with a laugh. Situated in front of the fencing was a small hole one could still throw coins into so I tossed two over my shoulder (took a quick selfie) and listened as they clanked down the metal pipe. Come on wishes!

Sixteen years had flown by since the last time I walked on Italy’s soil. I swore then I would return after college but life happened and prevented me from returning.

Vania was on a shoe mission and I was one happy shopper whether it was a boutique down a side street or flipping through the clothes racks at the outdoor markets. “When in Rome…” as they say, and Vania would comment throughout our time together that I was not a tourist with her making me feel like any other local. The saying took a whole other meaning for me during this trip.

Next on our plan was The Colosseum. My memory of seeing The Colosseum appear when I was 19 was slightly different from seeing it at age 35. I swore I remembered walking along soil at ruin level and our tour guide pointing out that we were walking on fragments of buildings from ancient Roman times. I recall at that moment looking down at the bit of broken marble wedged into the solid ground below. Imagining these structures whole and during their day when Rome was a thriving city. Our tour guide pointing out where the archeologists discovered that there was a Pagan burial ground pointing out the misshapen grass marks and how many people could be buried below its surface.

Roman roads toward The Colosseum were wide with both tourists and other Italians walking alongside one another without feeling like everyone is fighting for space. Couples. So many couples were holding hands all around me. Kisses shared on benches. Rome was filled with romance. As a shy 19 year old, this would not have been something I noticed as I had as an adult. I wondered if every city in Italy was like Rome? I did recall Venice being filled romance yet somehow it was different than the romantic energy I felt along Roman streets.Suddenly The Colosseum began to come into view…chills. I was 19 again walking beside new friends with this new freedom and wandering the grounds of a once dreamed about land. The most magnificent funky trees known as Stone Pines or “umbrella pine” surrounded this historic gem.

Vania snapped some pictures of me in front letting me spend more time alongside the manmade wonder. It was just him and me. We had some reminiscing to do.

I enjoyed not having the day planned out or over-planning to know which sight we would see first. I let the day happen. This was also more about spending time with a dear friend I met four years ago.

I barely recognized Pizza Navona upon our arrival. Waves of people, strollers and stand after stand of posters and paintings of Italian landscapes covered the entire square. I swam through the crowds from one end to the other sneaking a selfie when possible. This was not the square I remembered yet looked forward to return again when tourist swimming was not part of the experience. How I did not remember snap a few pictures of the craziness I will never know…

Pizza was on tonight’s menu. Vania took me to Ristorante Terno Secco located along Via Andrea Doria where we had a sweet waiter from Egypt. I ordered the Capricciosa pizza topped with mozzarella cheese, prosciutto, mushrooms, artichokes and tomatoes—an absolute new favorite.

Drifting off to sleep I thought, “Please don’t let this trip go by too quickly…”

DC Beer Week in Washington, D.C. kicks off every August and this year is scheduled for August 9th-16th. The D.C. metropolitan area has exploded over the past few years with new breweries opening up in and around the city. In order to appreciate today’s beer scene it is important to learn about the men who paved the way for present-day breweries.

Shortly after the country was being founded breweries were also making a mark. Dr. Cornelius
Coningham from England made history when he opened the first brewery in 1796 called the Washington Brewery located southwest of the White House. Conignham partnered with James Greenleaf to run his brewery that was housed in a two-story stone building. An ad was found that they posted in the Washington Gazette advertising their table beer, strong beer, hops, grains, and Whiskey. In those days, with only 1% alcohol table beer was a common drink to wash dinner down.

After Greenleaf went bankrupt in 1797, the partnership dissolved and Coningham moved his operation to near Navy Yard to an 8-story brick building that had originally built as a sugar refinery. This was the second brewery location and operated from 1805-1836.

The district’s most famous early brewer is Christian Heurich who founded the Christian Heurich Brewing Company in 1872. Heurich’s first location began in DuPont Circle until a fire in 1895 forced him to move his brewery to Foggy Bottom where the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts now stands.

In honor of DC Beer Week, a collaboration of close to 20 other area breweries came together at the District ChopHouse back in June to discuss the recipe for the same type of beer called The Solidarity. They then brewed the beer 16 days later. The Solidarity is an over 70% wheat, 5.8% ABV, 25 IBU, 2 SRM Saison with fresh pressed lemon juice and three citrusy varieties of hops.

Ben Evans, Head Brewer and co-owner of Hellbender Brewing Company, pouring us a sample of his latest delicious creation the Australian IPA he calls the Chazzwazzer.

On Tuesday, August 4th Hellbender opened their doors for a media preview tasting of their Solidarity. Head Brewer and co-owner, Ben Evans, took us on a tour of their establishment and let us taste their newest Australian hopped IPA called the Chazzwazzer named from a Simpson’s show reference. I was impressed with the subtle crisp notes of dried mango and pineapple.

“For me, home brewing started as a both a creative outlet and a way to save money. On a production level, I love creating new recipes while still applying my scientific background to keep batches consistent,” Ben said.

Now with DC Beer Week underway, Suburbia located outside Union Market will officially kick off the week on Sunday, August 9th hosting the regions top 20 breweries, cideries and meaderies. Day time events will include tastings, music from DJ-59 as well as a ribbon cutting ceremony for the 7th Annual DC Beer Week.

DC Brau teamed up with Quarterdeck to host a crab fest on Monday, August 10th from 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. with all you can eat crabs, DC Brau beers for $1 and pitchers for $5. Buy your tickets here for this Crab Fest Extravaganza.

ChurchKey will make history on Thursday, August 13th at 4:00 p.m. by devoting all 55 of their draft and cask lines to local brews. This will be the largest and first-ever single tapping of DC craft beers. There is even talk of the local brewmasters being present for this historic evening.

Chris Van Orden, Co-Editor for DC Beer, began writing and promoting the DC beer scene in 2012. He has been an integral part of promoting the local beer scene and enjoyed being part of the growth. Each year DC Beer partners with Scion in DuPont for their Blind & Bitter tasting that will include dozens of local brews.

“I’ve been really impressed how quickly people have become well-versed in beer. Not everyone needs to be an expert or obsess over every pint, but knowing even a few of the fundamentals – the basics of style, the importance of freshness – makes a huge difference. Also, the role that local breweries have played is fantastic. The public has rallied behind their hometown favorites, and the brewers never take that support for granted,” Chris said.

To travel means to open not only your mind to new experiences but also the opening of ones heart to the unexpected beauty, tastes of the culture, and roll with bumps along the way…

Italy called me back year after year since studying abroad in Firenze in 1999 and each year I would say to myself, “Someday, I promise to return!” That someday became Friday, July 17, 2015.

Social Media…it’s a small world after all…..

Social Media continues to make the world smaller as it connects people with similar life passions. Over a year ago Turin Epicurean and I connected on Twitter over something foodie related. Our friendship quickly moved to email. This year would mark the second year of Turin Epicurean Capital that she, Lucia Hannau, organized to promote tourism in her native Torino, Italy. She invited me to participate as a panelist in February for the roundtable that would be held in July. How could I pass up this opportunity? I was honored.

Stories are one aspect that truly make us human. To share an experience with others that can be carried down for generations or to educate others through the spoken word. I feel in order to properly share my stories I need to share a bit of what is happening below the surface during each adventure…

Change. Cambio. Bellissimi ricordi….o piu?

On June 1st my life took many turns in one day. This day brought the decision to move to a new apartment. I purchased a new phone after work. Then, that same evening, I began chatting online with an Italian chef and as the fates would have it—we both were attending the same event the following evening only to learn we were also neighbors.

Three solid weeks of spending time together until he left for Italy on vacation for a month to visit his family and friends. Si. He would be there the same time I would be there. My trip would begin in Rome where he was coincidentally from and would be most of the time. He said we could meet if it worked with his travel schedule.

I find it amazing how you can connect with people sometimes even when there are moments of being literally lost in translation. Personality, chemistry and similar background stories make it possible to have a friendship. This happened twice before with two friends. One was from Japan and the other the Puglia region in Italy who I would spend time with first when I flew into Rome. This also happened with him yet it was too soon to ask questions—simply enjoy each moment.

From Russia With…Love?

Uber took me to the Rosslyn Metro Station to pick up the 5A bus to Dulles. My flight was at 3:00 p.m. and my first stop was Moscow, Russia. Why—you may ask, the flight cost was too good to not book.

The airport selfie.

In line to board, a tall blonde stood behind me and we both started chatting immediately. She was from California and half Italian like me—and our seats were beside one another! Then laughed after learning we both booked this random “Moscow” flight since the price was too damn good. I was not the only one! Lindsay and I became fast friends talking about everything from boys to health and science over the course of the near ten-hour flight. Once in Moscow, her flight from to Venice took off before mine.

The final flight from Moscow to Rome was only a few hours and I found myself more anxious by the minute. The second the planes wheels skidded on the Italian runway, I closed my eyes and thought, “Ciao, Roma!”

I met my dear friend Vania over four years ago when she was on holiday in D.C. In very broken Italian and English we were still able to communicate and build a friendship that extended to Facebook. Time and again she invited me to Rome and I finally took her up on her offer! She told me which bus to take and waited minutes till I recognized her walking toward me. Italian cheek kisses and hugs ensued!

The heat wave in Italia was no joke. The wave originated in North Africa and had wiggled its way north planting itself for weeks on end upon Italy’s fairytale land. Vania’s apartment was absolutely beautiful! Clean, fresh and the walls were adorned with impressionist paintings by the artist who owned the apartment she was renting. She prepared antipasto dishes of Italian meats and cheeses. A bottle of Donna Marzia Vermentino from her native Puglia had been chilling in her fridge waiting for my arrival. New varietal to me; loved every drop!

The Mozzarella di Bufala melted in my mouth the way no American mozzerella could. The cheese originates from Campania from domestic Italian water buffalo. One bite and the inside of the cheese ball was soft with a subtle saltiness; savory and creamy all in the same taste. She paired the usual olives, prosciutto and another meat that was new to me called mortadella. I could live on dinners like this—snacking, sipping good wine and among good company.

After hours of catching up, laughing and finishing off the Vermentino.. jetlag and lack of sleep hit me

like truck lost on a dark Nevada country road. I fought sleep, hit the snooze button and somehow found a second wind to walk with Vania to see San Pietro lit up at nighttime. Magical. The statues seemed to come alive and turn to speak to one another. What were they saying? Joking about the tourists who have looked up at them in awe for hundreds of years? Discuss the latest pope?

She told me that sometimes she just comes to sit and think here and I could understand how a place such as this could offer such comfort and inspiration.

The joy of traveling is to always appreciate the unexpected. No matter how random or absolutely magical. We stumbled upon a VW rally. You read that correctly. Stepping between revamped VW’s of all kinds and even one with a stuffed Minion chillin’ in the back seat!